There’s a special kind of madness that happens when a band circles back to its roots — that wild-eyed realization that the thing you were chasing was behind you the whole damn time. CROBOT are standing right there now, staring down the beast they built, grinning through the smoke.
Brandon Yeagley still preaches his gospel from behind the mic like some back-alley shaman with a harmonica holstered for punctuation. Christopher Bishop remains the riff conjurer — tone soaked in engine grease and snake oil, as if the guitar itself were trying to escape the song. And with the arrival of brothers Willie (bass, vocals) and Nico Jansen (drums, percussion), the band’s pulse has started to sound downright dangerous again — thick, swinging, and impossible to fake.
Every band says they’re “getting back to their roots.” Most of them mean they’re out of ideas. CROBOT means it like a blood oath. They’ve stripped it all down to the muscle and marrow, rediscovering that holy intersection where Sabbath’s weight meets Funkadelic’s freak, where Clutch’s swagger shakes hands in the Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic Chili-Peppers era. This isn’t nostalgia — it’s resurrection. The past few years have sanded off a lot of pretense. What’s left is a band that’s learned how to breathe again, how to groove again, how to trust the dirt under their boots. They’ve been through the industry grinder, the touring trenches, the ego traps, and the inner wars — and somehow came out grinning wider, riffing harder, and sounding more alive than they have in a decade.
That rebirth roars to life on “Gun to My Head,” the first shot fired from their upcoming album. It’s CROBOT at their most unfiltered — hook-heavy, groove-drenched, and thick with the kind of swagger that makes amps sweat. The song’s chorus swings like a pendulum between surrender and salvation, the sound of four musicians testing their own limits and finding freedom on the other side. It’s not about violence — it’s about the pressure of transformation, the push and pull between love, truth, and the kind of pain that forces you to evolve.
“Sometimes you’re forced to take a step back and reflect on what really matters,” explains Yeagley. “Every note has a reason, every word a purpose. We’re etching something in-blood into the CROBOT discography – and Gun to My Head felt like the best taste of what’s to come.”
CROBOT in 2025 isn’t chasing relevance. They’re chasing feel. That unspoken alchemy that happens when four lunatics hit a downbeat and the room levitates for a second. They’ve traded the smoke and mirrors for sweat and instinct, and it shows.
Call it rebirth, call it regression, call it whatever you want — CROBOT is back where they belong: knee-deep in the groove, grinning like thieves, and daring you to prove them wrong.
“The only thing more terrifying than the last 200 seconds of ‘Tränenpalast’ are the first 70!”
Metal Titans KREATOR have released a new single from their highly anticpated sixteenth full-length, Krushers Of The World, which will be out on January 16th, 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Just in time for Halloween, the song ‘Tränenpalast‘ is a comprehensive homage to horror maestro Dario Argento’s 1977 cult filmSuspiria, which is hailed by fans as one of the most defining genre entries of its era. While the lead melody references the film’s original score by Italian prog band GOBLIN, lending it a melodic death metal touch, the lyrics mention “the three mothers,” an ancient witch coven from the Suspiria universe. In addition, the music video created by acclaimed masters of the macabre, Grupa 13, features KREATOR performing in the film’s haunted ballet school setting complemented by disturbing images of said witches in various stages of transformation. You can watch the video below … if you dare!
‘Tränenpalast’ features vocal coach Britta Görtz of extreme metal band HIRAES on guest vocals.
Mille Petrozza commented:
“‘Tränenpalast’ is our tribute to the great tradition of Italian cinema. We drew inspiration from Dario Argento’s classic “Suspiria” and Luca Guadagnino’s epic masterpiece remake.Musically, we bow to the great Goblin, in direct conversation with maestro Claudio Simonetti.We hope you enjoy the song as much as we do.
01. Seven Serpents 02. Satanic Anarchy 03. Krushers Of The World 04. Tränenpalast 05. Barbarian 06. Blood Of Our Blood 07. Combatants 08. Psychotic Imperator 09. Deathscream 10. Loyal To The Grave
KREATOR LIVE:
EU & UK Headline Tour w/ special guests Carcass, Exodus and Nails
When KREATOR’s earliest incarnation formed under the influence of Kiss and Judas Priest in the early 80’s none of the above was thinkable. For young adults, Essen, back then a 600k plus city in the Ruhr area, was a grim place. Unemployment rates were surging, houses had been blackened by smoke from factories and coal mines, for some alcohol and drug abuse were the only escape route from this dismal, post-industrialized backdrop.
Whereas Birmingham spawned Black Sabbath and undoubtedly became the legitimate birthplace of heavy metal, the bands associated with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal like Iron Maiden, Venom, Saxon pushed the genre with a street-fighting attitude, US artists such as Metallica, Exodus, Slayer, and Swedes Bathory intensified the style even more, and altogether concocted a dangerous brew KREATOR poured down their throats in gallons. For today’s remaining founding members Mille and drummer Jürgen “Ventor” Reil, music was the way out from these dire surroundings, and provided an outlet for the frustration and contempt boiling in their guts. And KREATOR went all in. Naive, chaotic yet utterly determined.
And they left their own mark on heavy metal history, radicalizing thrash and inspiring legions of musicians including Arch Enemy, Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth and Ghost, with Papa Emeritus joining a TV performance of ‘Satan Is Real’ in 2017.
Their newest studio album, Krushers Of The World, shows a band that has lost none of its bite kicking off with the rabid aggression of ‘Seven Serpents’. It also tackles Petrozza’s love for horror flicks by paying tribute to Dario Argento’s Suspiria in ‘Tränenpalast’ with extreme metal vocal coach Britta Görtz (Hiraes) adding her own vicious tone over dark yet catchy melodies. And of course, you shall have hefty doses of pure, thrashing aggression as well! ‘Barbarian’, ‘Deathscream’ or ‘Psychotic Imperator’ deliver your fix of merciless riffs, majestic leads by Sami Yli-Sirniö and some of Ventor’s fastest parts ever. Are you looking for powerful mid-tempo sections allowing bassist Frédéric Leclercq to shine? Then the monumental groove of the title track and stunning chorus of ‘Satanic Anarchy’ will have you covered. Rounded off by a triumphant and – no pun intended – krushing production courtesy of Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, who previously worked with the group on Phantom Antichrist (2012) and Gods Of Violence (2017), KREATOR return in perfect shape.
A novelty to Krushers Of The World is immediately obvious when staring at its cover. With Zbigniew Bielak, renowned for his work for Ghost, art and design offer an interesting twist to KREATOR’s history. Transforming classic visual trademarks dedicated fans will recognise from Coma Of Souls (1990), Out of the Dark… into the Light (1988) and Pleasure To Kill (the font!) into a highly detailed tapestry garnered with occult symbolism, Bielak crafted an outstanding piece paying homage to a band he loves since his teenager days yet with a daring and unique flair. The cover of Krushers Of The World rewards everyone willing to analyze the grandiose sleeve design.
In essence, Krushers Of The World is of course not a throwback to KREATOR’s past, it is furious, massive sounding and creative in its own right, gifted with a songwriting quality honed over years. It displays a band which earned its spot among the giants of the genre, and developed its youthful anger further into a professional, internationally successful, nonetheless intimidating creature. Krushers Of The World underlines the fact that fueled by the reflective look at their own legacy sparked by 2025’s Hate & Hope movie, KREATOR nowadays appear more mindful of their early days while simultaneously progressing uncompromisingly, unstoppable in their search for new realms to conquer and new worlds to krush.
Subsolar creates spacious guitar-led music with soft vocals and an expansive feel, heavily inspired by moments in films that really speak to you, whether you can or can’t explain why. Coming from an indie background, the music has evolved toward a more cinematic sound, with layered textures and subtle dynamics that swell into big guitar moments and richer soundscapes.
Here and Now’, Subsolar’s second single, continues the emotional journey started in ‘Komorebi‘, but explores an earlier stage – before acceptance has fully settled in. The song is about being present while still creating distance, in essence acknowledging something difficult without fully confronting it. Lyrically, it captures the tension between wanting to stay grounded and not getting swept away emotionally. It inhabits that in-between space, reflecting the uncertainty of how to respond to change or loss, the need for distance, and the quiet comfort found in solitude.
Vocally, the spacious verses and swelling, layered choruses carry a soft, shimmering delivery, giving the track an intimate, reflective feel. The repeated refrain ‘Here and Now’ acts as a subtle anchor, grounding the listener amid conflicted emotions. Musically, a lightly hopeful backdrop contrasts the uncertainty in the lyrics, hinting at the possibility of moving forward despite the unease.
Joe Grange states: “I was caught between wanting to be present in my relationship and needing to pull away entirely. I wasn’t ready to accept that my Dad wasn’t going to be around anymore, and that grief made it hard to fully be there for someone I cared about. Some days I wanted to hold on, to stay close and engaged, but other days I felt this almost instinctive need to retreat, to create distance so I could make sense of everything. I didn’t really know how to be there, or how to step back, and I was just trying to find some balance in the middle of all that uncertainty.“
In narrative terms, ‘Here and Now’ is a step before Komorebi. Capturing the tentative, questioning stage that precedes the clarity and acceptance explored in the debut single. It’s a moment of pause, introspection, and emotional balancing, reflecting the early process of coming to terms with life’s ups and downs.
‘Here And Now’ was recorded at Magic Garden Studios and produced by Gavin Monaghan & Liam Radburn.
Between 1970 and 1973, Steve Marriott and HUMBLE PIE were responsible for some of the most enthralling live shows of the era, alongside some of most remarkable hard rock albums of the age – a sequence topped, of course, by 1971’s Rockin’ The Fillmore, still ranked among the greatest live albums ever made, and one of the first double live rock albums ever, as well.
Yet, two years earlier, the tapes rolled for a release that out-did even that… a 1969 show that Andrew Loog Oldham, whose Immediate label released Pie’s first two studio albums, swears was the best thing Humble Pie ever did under his aegis.
It’s an accolade with which it’s hard to disagree.
Humble Pie were undertaking their first ever US tour at the time, a two month outing that climaxed in mid-December on Sunset Strip, at the Whisky A-Go Go, and Marriott remembered the shows there as a fantastic experience for band and audience alike.
Plans to release the Whisky tapes as Humble Pie’s third album went unfulfilled, however, as Immediate Records disintegrated in early 1970. In fact, it would be 30 years before the tapes finally surfaced, but immediately they were acclaimed a true classic – and yes, superior even to the legendary Fillmore set.
And on November 21, Sunset Boulevard 1969 not only reappears in best-ever sonic quality, but also for the first time on vinyl; and truly, neither band nor performance have ever sounded better.
Marriott recalled the tour very much as “make or break” for the band. Although they had built a strong reputation in the UK and Europe, he was still recovering from the collapse of his last group, The Small Faces; still trying to regain his personal equilibrium.
America offered him the incentive he needed. “As soon as I began to rouse audiences a bit, [my old drive] began to slowly come back and I realized what we had to do and how we could do it. It was lovely, a good feeling. When we first formed, I was much more in the background and quiet. It was suddenly like I’d taken over the whole stage, which was something I couldn’t help but do, because when my confidence came back, it came back with an almighty bang.”
That bang reverberates across the album, through epic versions of The Yardbirds’ “For Your Love” and Johnny Kidd’s “Shakin’ All Over”; a short sharp take on Marriott’s own “The Sad Bag of Shakey Jake”; a positively Behemothic “I Walk On Gilded Splinters” and, released today as the band’s latest single, Ray Charles’s “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” – one of the most beloved, and certainly most dynamic performances in the band’s entire catalog.
There are a lot of Humble Pie live albums available today, dating back as far as the early 1970s and forward to the last gigs the band ever played, in the US in the early 1980s. And all of them capture the sheer brilliance of frontman Marriott, as a singer, a songwriter, an interpreter, a guitar player.
But Sunset Boulevard 1969 is something else entirely… not just a great show by a great band, but a 50 minute immersion in everything that truly great rock’n’roll music should encapsulate – light and shade, wildness and restraint, mood, magic and mayhem. And one of the most phenomenal vocalists we’ve ever heard.
Following the release of their brand-new album “Stronghold”, German epic melodic metal veterans HUMAN FORTRESS unveil the official video for their haunting new single “The Darkest Hour”.
The song delves into the shadowy realm between dream and waking life — a liminal space where fear and confusion merge. As the band explains: “The nightmares come every night and you can no longer distinguish between dream and reality.”
Musically, “The Darkest Hour” embodies the emotional intensity and melodic strength that define “Stronghold”: powerful guitar-driven arrangements, dramatic vocal lines, and an atmosphere charged with both grandeur and despair. It is a track that perfectly encapsulates the album’s darker edge and its reflection on human vulnerability.
Produced by the band and mixed/mastered by Alex Krull (Mastersound Studio), “Stronghold” is available now via Massacre Records as a 2-CD Digipak and limited vinyl LP. With “Stronghold”HUMAN FORTRESS reaffirm their place as one of Germany’s most respected epic metal institutions, delivering an album that is both timely and timeless.
Track listing:
CD 1 Stronghold The End Of The World Pain Mesh Of Lies The Abyss Of Our Souls Under The Gun Silent Scream Death Calls My Name Road To Nowhere The Darkest Hour
CD 2 Obey Another Lord Pathfinder Lost With The Wind We Are Legion (Japan Bonus Track)
HUMAN FORTRESS are Gus Monsanto – Vocals Todd Wolf – Guitars Volker Trost – Guitars Axel Herbst – Keys André Hort – Bass Apostolos Zaios – Drums
“October 31st, marked the end of the harvest! The boys in WICKED are bringing an offering when the veil is at its thinnest! Now you can’t put it down. It ignites your nerves, setting fire to your veins, and all you know is you want more. Are you in love or is this something else? Fixation, fascination and lust. Rock N Roll like you’ve never heard it before! There’s a new full length album from WICKED on the horizon and you just may become obsessed after the first single drops this Halloween. Be aware; Obsession by WICKED will be unleashed today on all digital streaming services, accompanied by a live visualizer! You’ve been warned! Your latest Obsession will be WICKED!”
“We’ve been really busy in the studio over the last year digging deep into a song writing chapter that has continued to evolve from our previous albums. With each album we feel a growth and evolution that seems to follow us through our lives. As we leave the “Sunburn” album in the rear view and all its reflection of our extreme lifestyle and ups and downs as we started this band, we now look forward to a song writing chapter of where we are going! We can’t wait for you to hear our upcoming album release, but for now we hope you find yourself obsessed over our first single and all of its fresh, exciting nuances!” – Danny
“When we first sat down to write Obsession, we were fueled by so many exciting experiences in our lives touring and meeting some of the most interesting characters in Rock N Roll. It was clear our lives had been consumed and fixated on being rockstars and we wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s something romantic, dark and sexual about that kind of devotion in an ethereal way. Which isn’t surprising that this track is dripping with that kind of lyricism and influence.” – Scotty V
“It was so liberating to dive head first into this track and allow it to call on so many different influences. Melodic rock with a metal edge, just take a listen to that break down in the bridge! It’s already a fan favorite part for those who’ve caught sneak peaks at our recent shows!” – Gunnar
“Becoming obsessed with something can be such an experience, sometimes for the best and sometimes for the worst. Once it starts, it’s almost impossible to take hold of and reel in. We wanted to put all of that into this song and really take the listener to where we’ve found ourselves. Like a runaway train ablaze, this song will bring the heavy, melodic power you’ve been looking for when you just need to Rock The F*#K Out!” – Chad Michael
“Obsession” opens the floodgates of upcoming releases and music videos for WICKED’s latest upcoming album due early 2026! Let the song rip as you Rock this Halloween and let yourself become obsessed with the magic of straight ahead High Energy Rock N Roll in 2025! The band will be celebrating the release of the new single “Obsession” with a special release show on November 7th at Record Archive in Rochester NY. First 50 people will get a limited signed Obsession poster!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
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